God bless us, every one
by Grand Duchess Anna
Summary: The Crawley, Branson and Gregson cousins plan an outing for their parents in honor of Father's Day, 1945. Almost completely fluffy. M/M, S/T, and Edithor.


17th June 1945  
London

Matthew arrived downstairs to find both his brothers-in-law already seated in the dining room, chatting over their newspapers.

"Good morning, Matthew. Glad you could join us," Tom said with a grin.

"You're one to talk," Matthew retorted good-naturedly, though the tips of his ears reddened. He went to serve himself some eggs as he asked, "Any sign of the children yet?"

"Not a peep," Michael replied.

Matthew sat down with his breakfast. "Anything interesting happening in the world? I haven't seen the papers yet."

"Not much." Tom shrugged. "O'Kelly is favored to win the presidency next week."

They fell into a companionable silence, which was soon interrupted by Sybbie and Cecily.

"Good morning, Papa!" Cecily chirped. She leaned down to kiss her father's cheek. "What are your plans for today?"

"Nothing much," Matthew said.

"That's good, because we've planned an outing for Father's Day! Be ready to leave at eleven o'clock," Sybbie announced.

Matthew and Tom and Michael glanced at each other, remembering the crazy schemes the cousins had thought up when they were younger.

Cecily noticed. "I can't believe you'd think we'd prank you!" she exclaimed, pretending to be offended.

"Silly us, I don't know why we would think that!" Tom joked.

"Well, we've grown up now." Sybbie sat down with her breakfast and took the newspaper, taking half for herself and giving the other half to her cousin. "Did you see that the United Nations charter will be signed next week?"

Tom nodded in assent but did not say anything. The mood of the room had shifted at Sybbie's words, and the three fathers thought, as they so often did lately, of all that their children had been through in the past few years of wartime.

Sybbie and Cecily themselves seemed unaware, and soon the other cousins began to trickle in, restoring the earlier lightheartedness. The dining room filled with their chattering voices and their fathers retired to the library.

At eleven, the fathers gathered in the foyer, where they were met by Mary, Sybil, and Edith, and Cora.

"The children have gone on ahead to set everything up," Sybil explained. "So we're on our own." Everyone else nodded.

"Darling, didn't we give Evans the day off?" Matthew recalled.

Mary smiled. "We did, but fortunately we have a very good driver in the family!" she teased.

Tom rolled his eyes. That had been Robert's favorite joke, and now his daughters continued to say it. Though Tom did not much mind anymore. His father-in-law had always said it somewhat nastily, but he knew that with Matthew and Mary and Edith it came only affectionately.

"Let's go," he said. "It wouldn't do to be late."

And so they set off, and within a few minutes had arrived at Hyde Park. Mary had been the messenger between the children and the adults for all the planning, and so she led the others over to the lake.

"It's just a picnic!" Tom said, catching sight of Sybbie setting out a plate of cakes. George and Emily were setting out plates, and Elizabeth was folding napkins. William was arranging blankets on a wheelchair for Cora.

"Not _just_ a picnic," Sybil reproved. "The children made everything themselves!"

"No help from Mrs. Mason at all?" Michael looked a bit worried, and Edith chuckled.

"No, but I think they would have been rather lost without Sybbie," she said.

Mary nodded in agreement. "All mine know how to make with any surety is scrambled eggs and coffee. Though perhaps they've learnt more now."

"All right, come and sit down!" Elizabeth called. She motioned to her younger brother, who hurried to help his grandmother to sit down. The other adults followed suit, and in a few minutes everyone was settled on the picnic blanket.

"This was a very nice idea," Matthew said.

"Good!" Sybbie looked pleased. "I know we haven't really celebrated Father's Day before. But this year we thought it would be nice, since we're all together again for the first time since the war ended."

"And since we're all safe and well," George added.

Matthew reached for Mary's hand, twining his fingers through hers, and Tom reached for Sybil's.

"The next time we'll all be together is Sybbie's wedding, can you believe it?" Elizabeth chimed in.

"No," Tom said firmly.

"And then you'll be next, Lissie!" William exclaimed, and his sister blushed.

Matthew groaned. "Don't remind me."

"And people think mothers are the sentimental ones," Mary joked.

"Just you wait for the day itself," Cora said. "Then you'll change your tune."

"Yes, well, you're American, and I am English," Mary returned.

Cora smiled fondly. "Some things never change."

They were all aware of how much things _had_ changed, even just since the war, and even more in all the years they had known each other. But they were together.

Emily broke the silence that had fallen. "And God bless us, every one!" Her cousins burst into laughter. "I thought it seemed fitting," she explained. "Everyone was being terribly sentimental for a moment there."


End file.
